From Karl’s market, we drove into Berlin to spend the rest of the day sight-seeing. I was constantly noticing the artwork on the various buildings everywhere we went. Berlin was a city humming and pulsating with art. It was as if the need to create art was so dynamic and full of passion that it could not be contained, it had to leap out of the hearts of the people onto walls and buildings and whatever other surface where this passion could find expression. It left me with the feeling that we were constantly walking through a living, breathing art museum.

We walked to Alexanderplatz , with the Fernsehturm (Berlin TV Tower) as our constant companion (at 368 meters high, it’s the tallest building in Germany and is prominent and visible throughout the Berlin cityscape). We stopped and took pictures at the intriguing World Clock, which shows the time of various cities around the world. After finding the closest time to home, we then strolled past various street musicians, buskers, eye-catching architecture [Berlin Cathedral, Rotes_Rathaus (Red City Hall)], and even huge soap bubbles dancing across the square outside the old church. We stopped at the Neptunbrunnen fountain for more pictures before wending our way to a rather impressive wine shop.

The wine shop was one of those places that is smaller on the outside than it is on the inside. It seemed to expand before our eyes once we stepped foot inside the door. I wasn’t allowed to take pictures in there, but suffice to say that it was filled from floor to ceiling with every imaginable shape, size and colour of bottles of liquor, many of which we had never seen or known existed before. While we’re not big drinkers, we were regretting not having enough weight allowance to take some of these gorgeous decorative bottles home with us.

There was a lovely cafe next door with mouth-watering pastries beckoning to us from the display window. What was even lovelier was that when we went to pay, we found out that a friend of Janine’s (who worked at that wine shop next door) had come in and paid our bill already!

From the coffee shop, we headed back to the car and then to the home of a friend of Janine’s, who had managed to snag passes for all of us to attend a very special evening. It was a firework demonstration show, put on by firework specialists for firework buyers from all over the world! How amazing is that!!! It was something we could never have imagined experiencing, and was such a fun, awesome evening. There were food kiosks serving up Bratwursts and beer, but I opted for the sizzling BBQ steak instead, and was glad because it practically melted in my mouth and was one of the best I’ve ever tasted in my life!

I discovered the firework function on my camera and for the rest of the evening had way too much fun experimenting. In fact, I took close to 100 pictures, but will only show a few of my favourites here in this post. The firework demonstration lasted for about 2 hours and ended with a grand finale that lit up the sky with every colour imaginable. We left feeling like we had just been treated to one of the most magical nights ever. It was around midnight when we finally arrived back in Paulinenaue, exhausted but oh so delighted with the fabulous day we had just enjoyed.

Examples of the artwork on the sides of the buildings in Berlin

Artwork on buildings in Berlin

There was artwork everywhere in Berlin

More building art in Berlin

This artwork wrapped all around this building in Berlin

The Fernsehturm (Berlin TV Tower) was visible from almost anywhere in Berlin

Fernsehturm (Berlin TV Tower) viewed from Alexanderplatz

Alexanderplatz in Berlin

It was Oktoberfest time in Alexanderplatz in Berlin; lots of music on the streets

The World Clock in Alexanderplatz, Berlin

Kerstin showing André the times in various cities around the world, at the World Clock in Alexanderplatz, Berlin

We found “home time” (Montreal, closest we could find to Ottawa) at the World Clock in Alexanderplatz, Berlin

André at the World Clock in Alexanderplatz, Berlin

André and Sharon at the World Clock in Alexanderplatz, Berlin

Rotes Rathaus (Red City Hall) is the town hall of Berlin

Rotes Rathaus (Red City Hall), the town hall of Berlin

The dome of the Berlin Cathedral

I’m not exactly sure what this building is, near Alexanderplatz in Berlin

I loved the red brick facade and architecture of this church near Alexanderplatz in Berlin

Lots of huge soap bubbles dancing in the fountain, between Alexanderplatz and the Neptunbrunnen fountain in Berlin

Another glimpse of the dome of the Berlin Cathedral

Neptunbrunnen fountain in Berlin. From Wikipedia: “the four women around him represent the four main rivers of Prussia at the time the fountain was constructed: the Elbe (with the allegorical figure holding fruits and ears of corn), Rhine (fishnet and grapes), Vistula (wooden blocks, symbols of forestry), and Oder (goats and animal skins)”

Janine, Sharon and Kerstin at the Neptunbrunnen fountain, Berlin

Kerstin, André and Janine at the Neptunbrunnen fountain in Berlin

Playing with my camera, capturing the perfect alignment of the church steeple with the Fernsehturm (TV Tower) in Berlin

The wine shop, near Alexanderplatz in Berlin; no pictures allowed inside.

These women were very lost and so Kerstin and Janine were helping them to get their bearings.

Kerstin, Janine and André at the wine shop in Berlin

We were fascinated with the sign advertising clothing up to 8XL

Flower display in the U-Bahn train station

More interesting wall art in Berlin

I really liked this wall art (in Berlin)

THE FIREWORKS

First off, as you probably realize by now, I am not a professional photographer. I own a little pocket-size Canon Powershot SD1000 which I hang around my neck and use – often on the run – with one hand without even checking the settings. Since many of our trips involve bus tours with a fairly hectic pace, this camera has suited me well in all of our travels. After carrying this camera around me for all these years, I admit that until this night in this little village outside of Berlin, I had no recollection that it had a firework function, nor did I have a clue – or time to figure out – how to use it properly. I was delighted to find it, and proceeded to have a lot of fun experimenting for the next two hours. My pictures of the fireworks did not all turn out the way they’re probably supposed to, in fact, I clearly should have played around more with a few of the settings. But I thought some of them were cool enough to share here. Don’t judge me on my firework-photographing skills, enjoy the colour-captures just as they are. (BTW, this was one of the neatest, most enjoyable events André and I have ever been to! Warning: I might be tempted to show more of these firework photos, maybe at the very end of the Berlin series as a sort of grand finale.)

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About Sharon

I love to write. I love to write myself into being right here right now. Writing releases something in me that needs wings, writing opens doors and windows that I often don't even realize are possible, writing helps me breathe out the dusty old, and to breathe in the new and possible.
My hope is that maybe writing here in this blog will bring new light into these dusty old hallways and help me to clear out the thinking processes and mindsets that just don't work for me anymore. I seek to breathe new light and life into the nooks and crannies of a soul that has been feeling somewhat lost and frayed because of the last few patches of road I've had to travel.

Fantastic shots! The fireworks are amazing! We once went on a firework boat trip along the river Rhein. It’s called Rhein in Flames, and was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. Look it up in the web. I’m sure there is a lot of info. I hope you had comfy shoes on. You saw so many sights in one day! Wow, I feel like I just accompanied you.

Thanks, Angelika! That Rhine in Flames firework trip sounds awesome! I looked at some of the pictures on Google and it looks like something I would build an entire trip around. Maybe next time we come to Germany…

My shoes were very comfy, though the orthotics start to feel like steel golf balls after awhile. But we had enough time in the car between places, so we were able to rest a bit then. It was an amazing day. And another amazing day coming up in the next blog! Though not as many pictures because cameras weren’t allowed in two of the places we went.

It’s fun to relive all of these wonderful memories again – especially with dear friends!

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